FOSS Awards at IndiaFOSS 2026
If an asteroid was heading for Earth and there were only two seats left in the evacuation ship, they would leave you behind and give your nominee the extra seat in case they want to stretch out. Who do you choose?
We’re celebrating the people and projects who keep the digital commons alive, healthy, and growing in India. The FOSS Awards, presented at IndiaFOSS 2026 by the FOSS United Foundation, honor exceptional contributions across six categories:
- Maintainer of the Year: For the person who keeps projects running – reviewing PRs, fixing bugs, answering issues, and consistently showing up so the project keeps moving forward.
- Project of the Year: For an open-source project that made a real, measurable difference this year.
- Evangelist of the Year: For someone who brings others into FOSS — through talks, articles, workshops, mentoring, or energetic online advocacy.
- FOSS United Community Volunteer of the Year: For the person who quietly does the essential work — organizing meetups, helping newcomers, and taking on the tasks that often go unnoticed but matter deeply.
- Student Community of the Year: For the student community that brought together young minds to deep dive into digital commons.
- Lifetime Achievement Award: For a long-term contributor whose work has shaped FOSS in India over many years.
Self-nominations are welcome. All submissions will be reviewed by the FOSS United Foundation governing board for completeness and relevance, before a shortlist is opened to community voting within the FOSS United Maintainers Community.
Winners will be announced at the IndiaFOSS 2026 festival, with travel and accommodation covered.